Righteousness

What If One Was Born a Homosexual?

Let us say, just for argument sake, that one is born a homosexual, would this in any way change the fact that homosexuality is sin, wrong and immoral? No, it would not. Why? Simply because the Written Word of God says that all immorality is sin and homosexuality is included and specifically listed as sin, as immoral and therefore as wrong as well.

So, what if one was born a homosexual, shouldn’t we be more tolerant of this sin, this product of the fall? Well, the truth be known, No.

Everyone is born in sin and therefore is a sinner. As a result of this reality we are all born with a very real propensity to sin or as people like to say today, an orientation toward sin and sinful behaviors. Because humanity is born in sin, with a sin nature, that is a nature that is given over to sin and therefore sinful lifestyles, we are all in the same kind of boat as it were. Apart from the work of God’s grace as revealed in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, there are no exceptions here. While there are many different kinds of sin, there is only one sin nature and each of us is born with it. This sin nature is reflected in a wide variety of evidences, forms, heart conditions, attitudes, and behaviors, but regardless, they are all rooted in the same base. This base is called the sin nature, the fallen state of humanity. It is in man’s nature to sin and thus to it is in man’s nature to rebel against the will, word and ways of the Lord God Almighty and therefore to do and be what the Lord God has called for us to not do and be.

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Categories: Accountability, Boundaries, Deliverance, Dependency, Empowerment, Homosexuality, Lies, New Beginnings, Presumptions, Regeneration, Righteousness, Salvation, Saving Faith, The Lord Jesus, Victory, Work of God | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

The Miracle and Mystery of Regeneration

I want to write about something that near and dear to me and that’s the truth of the Lord’s miracle and mystery of regeneration. To understand this precious and most holy work of the Lord even a little bit is such a blessing beyond mere words. While in so many ways it is a mystery, it is also a miraculous reality without which no one can truly be saved in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me try to tell you about this wonderful work of God’s awesome and sovereign grace.

It begins for each of us when we were chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ before the world’s foundation was even laid. That’s right, we were chosen (elected) in the Lord Jesus Christ clear back then (Eph 1:4). We were even then blessed of God.

Adam and Eve lived out their existence before the living God and before the fall, that is so very much different from ours. They were pure yet neither righteous nor unrighteous. They were given a single command, to not eat of the one tree in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

They were naïve and vulnerable, to sin, darkness, and the power of Satan to tempt and deceive them. They didn’t have to walk in faith regarding God, for God simply was and they simply were, because of Him. They walked with Him, talked with Him and fellowshipped with Him daily, in the cool of the evenings. There was no unbelief that had to be overcome, yet. There was no sin nature that had to be conquered, yet. There was nothing in them yet that was fallen and therefore dead. They only had the command of the Lord God Almighty to not eat of this one tree. This command was an opportunity for both faith, faith in God and His Word, and righteousness, the result of adherence or obedience to God’s direct command.

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Categories: Absolute Dependency, Adoption, Calling, Election, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, His Chosen, Hope, illumination, Imputation, Lies, Mercy, Obedience, Reformed Theology, Regeneration, Resurrection Life, Righteousness, Salvation, Sanctification, Saving Faith, The Power of God, Transformation, Work of God | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

My Personal Struggle With Writing

Writing is like preaching for me, without the anointing, I have an extremely difficult time doing it. So, I confess that I have shied away from it more often than not. In other ways, writing is much more difficult for me than teaching and or preaching. This is most likely because I have preached and taught far more than I have written. Come to think of it, I have always struggled with writing. I have never really ever seen myself as a writer and still don’t. Yet this last year there was a brief moment in time when I surely felt, in and before the Lord Jesus Christ, that I was to give myself to writing much more than I do. However, as is usual, there were so many others things that got in the way of this. There was for example, work and driving long miles to do so, fatigue, moving, pastoring, family, health concerns, lack of genuine motivation, and the list goes on and on.

I have imagined a time when I would have time sufficient to write more. I have imagined a time when I would have the finances to take the time to write more. I have imagined that the anointing of the Lord Jesus would suddenly fall upon me and I would write like there was no tomorrow. But alas, none of these realities are indeed mine. This leaves me with but one of two choices as I see it: to give up on writing more altogether, or to write anyway.

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Being Built Up, Calling, Character, Dying to Self Will, Following Through, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Noise and Distractions, Perseverance, Process, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Spiritual Barreness, Surrender, Work | 2 Comments

The Great Falling Away

The Lord Jesus Christ one day while he was teaching asked a vitally important question. This question is almost too easily overlooked because of the way that it came forth. His question arose at the end of his teaching. He was telling a parable of the importance of persevering in faith, in earnest prayer, of how we need to be those who learn the power of and value of our praying through until we have what we are seeking the Lord.  For in Spirit and Truth, He is willing, just and ready to answer our prayers. As the Lord was finished sharing his brief parable, suddenly, almost as a passing thought Jesus says, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV)

Will we as believers persevere in faithful prayer, in genuine faith, while waiting for the Lord’s return? Or will we give up and walk away, throwing in the towel, turning around and no longer walking in the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?

We live in crucial times with rapidly accelerating darkness and sin all around us. We live in a time that all too quickly approaches, what the Word of God refers to as the time of The Rebellion, The Apostasy, The Great Falling Away.

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Categories: Anointing, Apostasy, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Darkness, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Genuineness, God Faith, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, Holy Spirit, Hope, Knowledge, Last Days, Mercy, Ministry, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Paradigm Shift, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer, Presumptions, Priorities, Process, Profession, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Righteousness, Rock, Salvation, Saving Faith, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Source, Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, Victory, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word, Word of God, Work, Worship | Leave a comment

Let Us Arise, Yet Again!

There is so very much more than we are experiencing in and of Christ Jesus. There is so very much more of the Kingdom of God than we know or understand. There is so very much more of life in the Spirit than we are living out on a daily basis. There simply is so very much more yet to do and that needs to be done; I for one, long to know, do and experience the more. I also am haunted by what I have known, have accomplished or think I know. I also understand how tempting, as I get older, it is to remain in what I have come to know and experience.

What I mean is, that what I have known, done or think I know of Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God, seems at times to get in the way of the more. It gets in the way by having captured my attention, my heart and the battles that were for or needed to contend for it has passed. Yesterdays victories become all too easily today’s excuses. As I look forward to the more, this means more battles, contending, more stretching, more dying, more of that which we already and all too often resist in our growing in the Lord Jesus Christ. This looking forward seems to be less and less attractive when I honestly consider the cost of the past. While I know that nothing of what life and ministry has cost us compares to that sacrifice of Christ Jesus, it still, for us remains a very tangible, real and essential counting of the cost. We have given our all so many times, yet the call remains, to surrender our all yet once again.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Confidence, Covering, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Family, Father, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, His Chosen, His Gift of Love, Holiness, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Light, Ministry, Mother, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Pioneering, Prayer, Priorities, Process, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Resurrection Life, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Self Justification, Selfishness, Selflessness, Separatism, Simplicity, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Tenaciousness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Lord's Fullness, The Power of God, Timing, Truth, Victory, Wind of the Spirit, Witness, Word, Word of God | Leave a comment

A Reforbapti… What?

As I grew up, we moved somewhat frequently. We moved down the road, across town, over to the next town and down into the next state. As we would move, we often were in search of a new church. My father’s personal position wasn’t to search for a church so much as to find our pastor. This is something that I learned from and deeply respect my father for. When a pastor would leave and a new one then came, if it became somehow clear that he was not our shepherd, we would move on. It wasn’t loyalty to the denomination that was important, it was to our pastor, right or wrong. As a result, we spent considerable time in Independent, Baptist, Presbyterian, Missionary Alliance, Assembly of God, Foursquare and few others churches I do not recall. For all of this exposure to the various parts of the Body of Christ, I am today, so very grateful. It has served to give me a very real love for the Body of Christ at large.

As a result of this, I was exposed to many and varied churches, theology and forms of church. My father had received a powerful revelation of God’s Grace when he was young and in the ministry as had my grandfather before him. In fact my grandfather would have been the first in our family to become what might be called, a Bapticostal. Before my dad had the revelation of God’s Grace, my grandfather and my dad would discuss or rather argue this question over and over. Then, one night as my dad was studying the scriptures and getting ready for a meeting the next day, the Lord illuminated his understanding and he finally saw the light of the truth concerning God’s wonderful and powerful Grace. It was for him a true revelation. It was thereafter that my dad would find himself being on the same path as Grandpa, that of becoming a Pentecostal with a clear and powerful revelation of grace. They were the first, as it were, Bapticostals in our family.

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Categories: Abiding, Arminianism, Awakening, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Baptist Theology, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Church Forms, Churches, Confidence, Core Values, Dad, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Father, Foundations, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God's Faithfulness, God's Righteousness, God's Love, Grace, Growing in Faith, Hell, Hermeneutics, History, Homiletics, Humility, illumination, Knowledge, Light, Mercy, Ministry, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Paradigm Shift, Pastor, Pentecostal Theology, Prayer, Preaching, Presumptions, Readiness, Reflections, Reformed Theology, Relationship, Remembrances, Rest, Revelation, Righteousness, Signs & Wonders, Simplicity, Speaking in Tongues, Thankfulness, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transformation, Word, Word of God, Work of God | 4 Comments

I’m No Scholar, I’m Just a Guy

Acts 4:13 (NKJV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

I can think of no greater compliment than that one was recognized as having been with Jesus. I believe that for me, this is genuinely my goal in life, to become one who is recognized as having been with Jesus. To become one whose life was so changed and impacted by the Life of Christ Jesus that while my other deficiencies may be noted, Christ Jesus is still readily visible and evident in and through my life.

 As was true of Peter and John, I would find myself, in regards to ministry, as fairly uneducated and common. I come from a line, albeit brief line (grandpa, dad and myself), of uneducated and common men who loved the Lord and believed that Jesus had called them to follow Him and so they picked up their Bibles and did so.

 My grandfather was saved out of the Navy shortly after World War 2 under Amy Semple McPherson’s ministry. He believed that he was called into the ministry as preacher of the Lord Jesus. He bought a tent, a flatbed truck (to use as a platform for services and to haul the tent), picked up his Bible and went preaching the Word of God.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Being Built Up, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Churches, Confidence, Dad, Dependency, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Father, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Listening, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Pastor, Pioneering, Prayer, Preaching, Priorities, Process, Promises, Reflections, Relationship, Rhema, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Source, Speaking in Tongues, Spirit, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transcendence, True Love, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Work of God | 2 Comments

Is It All About Knowledge, Really?

It is how you live in Christ Jesus that is all important, not just what you know. Having said this, there has been many times in and throughout history when this issue of knowledge for knowledge sake, came to a head. It was this issue of Knowledge first, over the simplicity of Knowing Jesus first that seemed to be what the battle was about.

For example, there was a time in the later middle ages when the theologians of that day had gone so far as to create a theology that no one but they themselves could understand or relate to. Their theology had become increasingly complex and stood in direct contrast to the simplicity of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As this gap widened, so did the reactions of the people. Their reactions were focused upon a theology that was fraught with an over emphasis of subtleties, developing its own exclusive and elitist language with an insistence upon precise definitions and fine distinctions, theologically.

In the book, “Imitation of Christ”, we discover what was the commonly held belief’s of the day, beliefs that were reactions against the theologians and their theology of the day. Here is a taste of it (1.1.3):

“What good is it for you to be able to discuss the Trinity with great profundity, if you lack humility, and thereby offend the Trinity?”

“Verily, high sounding words do not make one holy and just. But a life of virtue does make one acceptable to God.”

“It is better to feel repentance, than to be able to define it.”

“Were you to memorize the entire Bible and all the sayings of the philosophers, what good would this be for you without the love of God and without grace?”

“Vanities of vanities. All is vanity, except loving God and serving only God.”

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Categories: A Simple Faith, A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Character, Church History, Communion, Confidence, Core Values, Dependency, Edification, Elitism, Empowerment, Faith, Foundations, Genuineness, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, History, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Humility, Intellectualism, Intimacy, Knowledge, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Obedience, Priorities, Questions, Readiness, Reflections, Relationship, Rest, Resurrection, Resurrection Life, Revelation, Righteousness, Rock, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Separatism, Simplicity, Source, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, The Lord Jesus, The Lord's Fullness, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transcendence, Transformation, Truth, Victory, Word, Word of God, Work of God | 2 Comments

Not Everyone…

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Let us have a brief look at this very disturbing text. I do not know about you but whenever I read this text it is convicting and confronting. It convicts me to never, by the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, presume upon my relationship in and with the Lord Jesus Christ. It also confronts me in the area of obedience. Am I genuinely doing the will of the Father God Almighty? It is a text that stirs up within, a very real and genuine re-examination of my heart and personal faith, in and with the Lord Jesus Christ. And, this isn’t a bad thing at all. No, it absolutely isn’t.

Not everyone who simply says, repeatedly, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; how convicting, how confronting, how challenging. This is especially true when you consider what the Lord then goes on to address. Even though there were mighty things seemingly being done through them, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will still drive them away because He did not actually know them. There was never any genuine relationship, of  God faith, saving faith or righteous repentance. It was simply a profession, of words rooted in presumptions.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, A Simple Faith, Abiding, Alone, Authenticity, Belief System, Believer, Churches, Commands, Communion, Confidence, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Exhortation, Foundations, Genuineness, God Faith, Grace, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Lies, Man's Faith, Obedience, Openness, Presumptions, Priorities, Repent, Repentance, Righteousness, Salvation, Saving Faith, Self Justification, Selfishness, Signs & Wonders, Simplicity, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Barreness, Surrender, The Power of God, Transformation, True Love, Unrighteous Ambition, Word, Work of God | Leave a comment

Reflections Of An Earlier Season

Genesis 12:1 (NKJV) Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.

I was just reflecting upon our life in the ministry and specifically the very early years. It was in those times, seemingly so long ago, that my wife and I helped to pioneer several churches and restart a few more. It was interesting because when we began, we had little if any money, resources or support and absolutely no training, at all. I worked in construction and pastored bi-vocationally for many years off and on. Even then, it was still financially very difficult.

As the years went on, pioneering churches seemed to catch on more and more in other denominations and church organizations. It became much more institutionalized and structured. Money became more available for what now was called, planting churches, as did other resources such as training and relational support systems. All that we see today, including the books, conferences, etc. just was not available back then.

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Categories: Abiding, Anointing, Authenticity, Being Built Up, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church Planting Days, Churches, Communion, Confidence, Dependency, Empowerment, Faith, Following Through, Foundations, Grace, History, Holy Ghost Burdens, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Isolation, Mercy, Obedience, Pioneering, Priorities, Reflections, Remembrances, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Source, Steadfastness, Surrender, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, Word, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

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